Signs of Life (comic story)

After taking Martha Jones to see The Beatles perform in a Liverpool club in 1963, the Doctor finds the area around them brightly lit. His sonic screwdriver shows the area is bombarded by ever-increasing amounts of positively charged ions. It is the energy used to create a biometric matter transfusion field used in interstellar teleportation. The energy field increases in intensity around Martha, who disappears in front of the Doctor’s eyes.

The Doctor races back to the TARDIS. He snatches Martha from the teleport beam and brings her back on board. He tracks the beam to the planet Gelezen. This is bad news. Gelezen has a severe isolationist policy. For thousand of years, it has been surrounded by an impenetrable time field. It is believed the Gelezens used human DNA as a template for their entire species, a race of clones. As the Doctor boasts about outwitting the Gelezens the TARDIS shields are overpowered and Martha is taken again …

Part Two

On the planet Gelezen, Martha is introduced to Dr Skelpa. He says she has been chosen to replenish the corrupt DNA pool with fresh genetic material. Without it the Gelezens will become extinct. The threat of the Doctor is laughed off. He is repeatedly bounced away by the time field protecting the planet – until Martha smashes the controls of the Gelezen ancestors' greatest achievement.

With the planet’s shield out of action, the Doctor arrives. To the Gelezens' surprise, instead of condemning them to extinction or allowing them to use Martha’s DNA (which has added strength from having travelled in time), the Doctor offers up his own DNA. It is perfect for the Gelezens. It is intelligent and adaptable, capable of replicating the human gene matrix as self-regenerating DNA. The new gene sample will always remain fresh and free the Gelezens of the need for constant gene replacement. The Doctor and Martha leave the Gelezens to make a better life for themselves.

Named individuals

References

The Living Stones of Thurakzima 7 were a favourite of the Doctor, a silicon-based life forms who put the ‘rock’ into rock ‘n’ roll!
The Doctors DNA is described as being “intelligent and adaptable capable of replicating the human gene matrix as self regenerating”.

Notes

The DWA comic strip adventures were aimed at a younger audience and the artwork and colours were bold and bright, reflecting the tone of the magazine.
Self contained, one part stories were the norm in the early issues, later being expanded to two-parters for a while before returning to standalone stories.

Original print details

Publication with page count and closing captions

DWA 36 (6 pages) NEXT WEEK – CAN THE DOCTOR SAVE MARTHA? FIND OUT NEXT ISSUE!
DWA 37 (6 pages) NEXT WEEK – More adventures next issue!

No reprints to date.

Continuity

On the question of future events the Doctor imagines how boring life would be if you knew everything about what was going to happen and when. He says "I hate spoilers" a theme echoed in encounters with River Song.
The Tenth Doctor would later take Donna Noble to see The Beatles. (COMIC: The Time of My Life)
The Beatles had also been seen on a Time-Space Visualiser aboard the TARDIS in TV: The Chase.